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Tenant Services Authority - The Big Say

29/06/2010

The TSA is the new regulator for social housing in England. It came into being on April 1st, 2010 to find out more about the TSA please click here.

This means for the first time all social housing providers like Cestria Community Housing are regulated by the same Authority.

What does this mean?

The TSA has produced a set of six standards that social housing providers have to meet from April 2011.

Each standard is linked to a set of results such as ensuring excellence in customer service, involving customers and demonstrating the diverse needs of customers are understood.

Landlords use the standards to understand what the TSA expects of them and what results they must deliver for customers.

Tenants have been involved from the start in creating these new standards. Because the whole focus of the standards is to make sure customers receive the services they want to a high standard.

The six standards cover;
  • Tenant Involvement and Empowerment – which contacts requirements relating to customer service, choice and complaints; involvement and empowerment; and understanding and responding to diverse needs of tenants.
  • Home – which contains requirements relating to quality of accommodation; and repairs and maintenance.
  • Tenancy – which contains requirements to allocations; rent and tenure
  • Neighbourhood and Community – which contains requirements relating to neighbourhood management; local area co operation; and anti social behaviour

The last two standards are around;

Value for Money and Governance and Financial Viability

By 1st October 2010, housing providers including Cestria Community Housing must publish a report setting out how we will meet these standards. This report will be produced every year.

Customers views are central to this because landlords must use the annual report to explain to the TSA how we will come up with a range of “local offers” which describe the kind of services that customers want, where they want these services and how they should be delivered.

Our customers will be involved in developing our local offers through a series of events we are calling The Big Say which will be held throughout the summer and we hope to engage with all Cestria customers to understand what services our communities would like Cestria to deliver. Customers on the Tenants Reference Group have already been busy working with an Independent Tenant Advisor to drive this initiative forward. Click here to find out more. 

Getting Involved

If you want to be involved in making sure our services are what local people want please contact the Customer Services Team on 0191 395 1900 or alternatively e mail www.thebigsay.org

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